‘What kind of nonsense’ – Craig Burley slams Eddie Howe’s claims after Celtic beat Newcastle

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This has been a fruitful week for Celtic Football Club.

It started with Celtic beating Sporting Lisbon in a pre-season friendly in Portugal, before putting four goals past Newcastle United over the weekend.

Celtic put on a show for their supporters at Parkhead, as Newcastle, who were playing only their second pre-season match of the summer, were off-colour and are pretty far behind in terms of fitness.

All of that is normal, but Eddie Howe wasn’t helped or aided by the fact that his star striker, Alexander Isak, was absent for the match.

And Howe has been verbally battered for what he has said.

READ MORE: Unique Angle captures what Newcastle United players did at Nick Pope’s Celtic Park blunder

What did Eddie Howe say?

Isak is regarded as perhaps the best striker in the English Premier League and one of the best in Europe after scoring 23 league goals last term, including helping Newcastle lift their first major trophy in 70 years.

But there has been a lot of transfer noise around Isak this summer, with the champions of England, Liverpool, keen to sign the Swedish striker.

That’s why Howe didn’t want him, even playing against the Hoops or even sitting in the stands at Celtic Park, as he told his press conference after the match.

“It was my decision (to leave Isak) out,” said Howe. “I decided to send him home due to all the speculation around him.

“The last thing he wanted was to be sat in the stands watching. That wasn’t fair to him. But I am confident he will be a Newcastle United player come the end of this window.”

Craig Burley on Alexander Isak not playing for Newcastle United at Celtic Park

All of this hasn’t gone down well with Craig Burley, and he doesn’t see an issue with why Isak, at the very least, wasn’t watching from the stands in Glasgow.

Speaking to ESPN, the former Celtic player labelled Howe’s comments as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘nonsense’.

Burley is adamant that the Newcastle manager could have played his star striker against the champions of Scotland.

“Ridiculous statement, isn’t it? ‘I sent him home because it wasn’t fair to him to sit in the stands,” responded Burley.

“What kind of nonsense is that? What’s wrong with sitting in the stands at Celtic Park watching your team getting gubbed? What’s the problem? It’s just cloak and dagger stuff. He could have played him, and he decided not to play him. Sends him home, and makes it even more of a grey area.”